Used from 1960 - 1968 - still need this; the blue & white ones were used from 1969 to 1975 or so

Chicago Police Department Patrol Officers' patches

These patches are obsolete since 1981

Okay, since some of
you wondered what were the names of the old 41 Districts, here is a partial list from 1961. This list
was on a station house directory card put out by the Chicago Patrolmen's Association which served as a receipt
for dues paid for 1962.

Some District names are
not on this list. Former Superintendent O.W. Wilson came on board on March 2, 1960, and he eliminated "18 of the 38 Districts" according to what I read. This means
that 3 of the original 41 Districts did not exist at the time Wilson
came to the CPD, and sure enough, the list is missing 3 Districts (Districts 3, 4 and 21). Of
course, they were eventually added years later, and some district station names survived (but perhaps with a different number)
and some were totally eliminated. Still other district names came into use even later, such as JeffersonPark for the 16th District.

Superintendent Wilson
eventually had 21 Districts; the number increased to 24 at least by 1980 and there are presently 25 Districts.

I also have (pictured
below) a list of Districts from 1916, when there were 45 Districts. They were not named. I also have District
lists from 1943 and 1955, and these help to fill in some of the missing info from the 1961 list and the 1960 map pictured
below.

In 1943, there were
41 Districts. In 1943, District 2 was under construction. District 3 was Cottage
Grove, 2700 S. State. District 4 was Stanton, 454 E. 35th. District 21 was
Scotland Yards, 4736 S. Halsted.

The 1943 list is similar
to the 1955 list. Here are some updates in the 1955 list: District 2 is Prairie, 300 E. 29th. Districts
3, 4 and 21 are closed down. District 26 in 1943 was Des Plaines but was renamed
Monroe, with an address change.

Note that an old District
map is just a few photos below here and it is also missing District numbers 3, 4 and 21 since they were already closed in
1955.

1
First District

2 Prairie Avenue

3
closed already

4
closed already

5
South Wabash

6
Hyde Park

7
Woodlawn

8
South Chicago

9
East Side

10 Grand
Crossing

11 Burnside

12 Kensington

13 Morgan Park

14 Gresham

15 Englewood

16 Chicago Lawn

17 New City

18 Stockyards

19 Deering

20 BrightonPark

21 closed already

22 Maxwell

23 Marquette

24 Lawndale

25 Filmore

26 Monroe

27 Warren

28 Austin

29 West Chicago

30 West North

31 Cragin

32 Shakespeare

33 Irving Park

34 AlbanyPark

35 East Chicago

36 Hudson

37 Sheffield

38 Town Hall

39 North Damen

40 Summerdale

41 Rogers Park

Detective Bureaus were
located at the 6th, 24th and the 32nd District addresses.

Chicago Police Department Supervisors' patches

These are obsolete since 1981

More old style pie piece or teardrop shaped patches used from early 1957 to November 1981
- and when you see the same district number on the patches, it means that they have different backing material - cloth
for shirts, leather for the jackets or felt for the wool coats. The cloth patches are shown first.

I've seen a Chicago Tribune photo from January 1957 where an officer has just the small round insert
patch sewn on his left shoulder-- it said that the CPD was thinking of having all officers wear such a patch. The insert
was not sewn on to the pie piece patch that said Chicago Police Dept. It was just the insert sewn on directly to the
shirt. It was later in 1957 that it was decided that officers would wear the pie piece shoulder patch with a district
or unit insert in the middle.

The patches with yellow letters and yellow border were for exempt ranks - Commander and above.
The others with blue letters and yellow border were used by sergeants, lieutenants and captains. Some of the patches
with a felt background are noticeably darker than the cloth and leather patches.

Below - this map dates back to 1916

It's a bit out of focus but is the best I can show you

1960s Map showing 38 of 41 Districts & 6 Areas

Has District boundaries before the reorganization by Superintendent Wilson in the early 60's

Above - This map also shows the 6 Area Headquarters. Now, there are only 5 of these.
This map might be from around 1961; note that the map does not show Districts 3, 4 and 21. These Districts were already
closed down when Superintendent Wilson came on board on March 2, 1960. He eliminated 18 of the 38 existing Districts.

LEFT - from the 1960s - thicker letters

RIGHT - from 2009

The old Cadet program ran from July 1963 to 1972 and cadets wore the patch pictured on the left -
its letters are much thicker, from front to back, than the newer patch on the right.

Cadets also were issued special shirt/coat badges that were sort of semi-circle shaped. Their
hat shields were also very different from the sworn officers' hat shields. There are pictures of these badges way
below, below the shirt and coat photos. Current CPD officers who were Cadets get to wear a special pin on their uniform
(wish I had one to show you).

The old Cadet patches were made by the Recco Maid Embroidery Company, formerly located at 4626 W.
Cornelia in Chicago. The company moved but is still in business-- since 1929.

The Cadet program was revived in 2005 and Cadets wear the same style of shoulder patch
and breast badge as in the 1960s. The new Cadet patches have a plastic backing to them. Cadets now wear baseball
hats and have no hat using a shield.

1943 District Station List

The old style phone numbers end with District 25

BELOW - 1955 District Station List

The far right edge is missing

As of 1966, the District names were:

1. Central

2. Wabash

3. Grand Crossing

4. South Chicago

5. Kensington

6. Gresham

7. Englewood

8. Chicago Lawn

9. Deering

10. Marquette

11. Fillmore

12. Monroe

13. Wood

14. Shakespeare

15. Austin

16. Jefferson Park

17. Albany Park

18. East Chicago

19. Town Hall

20. Foster Avenue

21. Prairie

16 changed from Irving Park, and 20 changed from Summerdale, around 1965-1966.